


Scattered pieces

by Fanficcrazy93



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers Family, Awesome Pepper Potts, Character Death, Happy Hogan is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanficcrazy93/pseuds/Fanficcrazy93
Summary: After the last person Peter has left is gone, who will be there to pick up the pieces?
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peppper Pots/ Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 34
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ~Hey guys, so new story plus it's my first time writing a Spider-man/Avengers story. Hopefully you like it. I don't necessarily have a timeline for this, I'm kind of just going with the flow at the moment. Hopefully I'll get it all sorted out by the next chapter if anyone's actually interested in the story. The storyline has more than likely been done with the amount of stories out there, but I've never done one so I'm giving it a shot. So, I hope you guys enjoy!

Peter walked into his home and softly closed the door behind him. It was pretty late at night, but that was nothing new to him. 

It had only been a few months since uncle Ben's death. His aunt May was not handling it well. He'd been trying to help out as much as he could, but there was only so much he could do. 

He'd gotten a part time job, it was only three days a week, but with school, and being spider-man it was a lot to handle. 

"Aunt May?" He called out looking around the apartment. He came to a stop at her bedroom door. 

"May?" He called her name again, but all he got was silence in return. 

He knocked on the door, but she didn't answer. He let his head lay against the wood. He was getting really tired of this, and he wanted to know how long she would be like this. But whenever he thought that way he always felt like a big jerk. There was no time table for grief. 

Waiting a few more seconds Peter knocked one more time. "Aunt May, please open the door." A minute passed by with no response and Peter sighed. "I'm coming in okay aunt May?"

He turned the knob, but it didn't budge. He listened for movement in the room, or the soft sounds of her sleeping, but he heard nothing. A spike of worry hit him and using his super strength he broke through the lock. 

His senses weren't telling him that there was any danger, but as he looked around the messy room he felt fear rush through him. 

The sheets were pulled from the bed. Clothes and bottles of perfume and cologne were laying scattered and broken across the floor, but May was nowhere to be seen.

Peter's eyes turned to the bathroom that was attached to her bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and something inside of him warned him not to go in there. It wasn't his Spidey senses, just a feeling. 

He ignored the feeling and moved towards the door. Pushing it open slowly, hesitantly Peter walked in. 

He looked to the side where the tub was and his breath hitched. His heart stopped beating and he felt his knees go weak. 

Tears filled his eyes as he rushed over to the tub. Sinking down to his knees his hands shakily reached for the bloody one floating in the water. 

"Aunt May?" He asked. He knew that she wouldnt answer, the vacant stare and the ice cold body temperature was telling enough. But he just couldn't understand what he was seeing. 

He felt no pulse in the wrist he held and if he listened carefully he couldn't hear a heartbeat either. A sob surprised him, ripping violently through his chest. 

"Aunt May you have to wake up." He cried. "Please, May. You can't do this to me." 

Peter couldn't stop the flow of tears from falling from his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? 

An ambulance. He needed to call an ambulance. Peter reached for his phone in his pocket and he dialed 911. His hand trembled on the three simple numbers. The weight of the reason behind the call lingering over him. 

After that call he stared at his phone and dialed another number.   
The phone continued to ring before a disgruntled voice answered. 

"Do you know what time it is?" Happy grumbled. 

"I..." Peter started but trailed off. 

"Peter, I know it's not a school night, but you can't possibly think that we're all just lying awake at two in the morning."

Peter heard him rambling about the time, but he couldn't stop looking at the prone figure of his aunt, floating in the water. 

"Peter are you even listening to me? You do realize that you called me right? Perfect, I'm hanging up now." 

Before the beep could come Peter snapped back to himself. 

"She's dead." He croaked out. 

Silence was his only answer and for a second he thought maybe the call did end. But when he looked at his phone he could see the call was still ongoing. 

"Peter, who's dead? What's going on?" Happy asked concerned. 

Peter could hear things hitting the floor as he assumed happy was rushing to get out of bed. 

"I, I found her just... just floating." Peter was with it enough to realize that he was going into shock. 

"Peter did you call an abundance?" Happy asked. Peter heard a door slam shut and seconds later an ignition started. 

"Yea," Peter said still transfixed by the dead eyes before him. These eyes belonged to his aunt May. 

Just then Peter could hear the ambulance arriving and within a minute they were rushing inside. 

"Peter, where are you?" Happy asked, clearly he had already started driving with no actual destination. 

"I'm at home." He muttered slightly dazed. He watched blankly as the paramedics worked on his aunt. Within seconds though he could see them shaking their heads. 

What was that supposed to mean? He looked at them confused when they said they were sorry. His eyes widened as he saw the white sheet being draped over her body. His aunt's body. She was all he had left. He had no one now, he was all alone. An orphan.

Another sob broke free and he didn't even care. It grew louder and louder until it was all he could hear. The phone dropped from his hand as he crawled over to her body. His breaths came in gasps as he yanked the sheet off. They had to save her, she was all he had left. He didn't want to be alone. 

Peter couldn't seem to catch his breath and he could barely make out anything before him with his eyes clouded by tears. 

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and then a sharp pinch before his eyes started to close without his permission. The last thing he saw before everything went black was his aunt's body once again being covered by the white sheet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Hey guys, so here's another chapter for you! Also just to get some things straight. If their must be a timeline, I'd say that the Avengers are in the midst of repairing their friendship, but they are still broken up. Spider-man homecoming has technically happened too, but I'm not planning on focusing too much on the details from the two movies. I'm just sort of going wherever my mind takes me? Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Happy repeatedly called Peter's name through the phone, but the kid wasn't answering and he was getting really nervous. 

Who was dead? Who was the kid talking about? 

"Peter? Peter, kid answer me please." Happy desperately pleaded.

He spent the next few minutes in a dreadful silence, thoughts running wild. 

Had the kid accidentally killed someone while he was out as spider-man? He was sure if that were the case Tony would have... Crap. He'd completely forgotten about Tony. He needed to call him, but he couldn't exactly hang up this call. 

If Peter would just answer him so he could get to the bottom of things he'd be able to inform Tony on what was going on. 

"Hello?" A voice asked through the phone. 

"Peter?" Happy scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. The voice didn't sound like the kid's. 

"No, sorry. This is Brad, I'm one of the paramedics that were called on to the scene." The man answered. 

Happy cleared his throat. His heart hammering in his chest. "What uh, what scene? Where's Peter?"

"We had to sedate Peter after an episode he had." The paramedic, Brad, said to him. He went on to tell him what hospital they would be taking him to. 

Happy had to pull over while he took in everything that was being said. He still so completely confused. 

"Wait wait wait. I don't understand what's going on here. Did someone die?" Happy asked. 

"Oh, I'm sorry I assumed that Peter told you. I'm sorry, May Parker passed away. We did everything we could, but she was gone before we even got there."

"Oh, God." Happy choked out. He would of never thought that that was what Peter meant when he spoke those chilling words. 

The paramedic once again apologized, insurring him that physically Peter would be okay and that he'd be at the hospital within ten minutes. 

"Thank you." Happy muttered dejected, hanging up the phone. 

Dropping his head into his hands Happy groaned. 

He brought his phone back to his hands and called the one person who needed to know what was going on. 

It took three tries before Tony finally answered the phone. 

"Happy this better be an emergency or so help me God I will demote you. Do you know what time it is?" Tony grumbled. 

"Tony, something happened." Happy sighed. He knew the man probably just got to sleep, he and Pepper had been out of town on a business meeting. One he'd been dreading going on in the first place. 

"What's going on Happy?" Tony asked still sounding half asleep. He heard a door close and assumed that Tony had just left his bedroom where Pepper was probably still asleep. 

"Tony, Peter called me," Happy started. 

"Yea?" Tony asked, sounding slightly less annoyed despite the late hour. 

Peter called almost every other day with something new to talk about. If Peter couldn't reach Tony he'd call him. But since his uncle's death a few months ago the calls happened less and less, and whenever it did happen it was mostly related to Spider-man, nothing personal. Peter knew that Tony was out of town this week, which was probably why he'd called Happy instead.

Tony was worried about the kid, hell he was worried about the kid too, Tony even demanded for Happy to let him know whenever Peter called him. 

"Wait, what's he doing up at this time? Isn't it a school night?" Tony asked sounding more awake as their conversation continued. "He's not out on patrol still is he? His aunt will have my head if she finds out. She's still not one hundred percent okay with the whole spiderman thing."

"Tony," Happy stopped him, "Peter's aunt passed away tonight." Happy said softly as he continued to make his way to the hospital. 

There was a moment of complete silence where Happy thought maybe Tony didn't hear him. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Tony choked out. 

"May, she's, she died tonight. I spoke to one of the paramedics that was there." Happy said pulling in to the parking spot at the hospital. 

"Jesus." Tony sighed. "Where's Peter?"

"At the hospital. Paramedic said he freaked out. They had to sedate him." Happy sat in the car too chicken to get out. Peter was going to be a mess, and he wasn't sure he knew how to handle it. 

"Shit." Tony cursed. "I'm on my way." 

Happy could hear the sound of shuffling. A few seconds later the sound of the door opening and closing sounded. 

"Happy, are you at the hospital? Are you with him right now?" Tony asked. The sound of the engine starting caught Happy's ears. 

"I'm just parking outside the hospital." Happy was too embarrassed to tell him that he'd been out there for awhile, too chicken to actually face Peter. When the kid woke up he would need Tony, not him. 

"Okay, well hurry up and get in there. I need you to be in there with Peter. I don't want him to wake up alone. What am I saying, he's probably already awake. That sedative had to have worn off by now."

Happy jumped out of the car. Tony was right. He couldn't think about hiself right now. Peter was the one that needed their attention. 

"Yea, I'm on my way." Happy rushed into the hospital and talked to the nurse at the front desk. 

"Don't hang up!" Tony screamed through the phone. 

Happy winced. "Not so loud Tony." He was pretty sure that the people out in the halls could hear him through the phone. 

"Have you seen him yet? How is he? Is he awake?" Tony asked completely disregarding his words. 

Happy heard a car horn and the sound of tires squealing followed by Tony yelling out a round of curses that would have had Captain America blushing. 

"Tony!" Happy whisper yelled, "Pay attention to the road. I got this, the last thing we need is for you to get in an accident. That's the last thing Peter needs." He reiterated. 

"Sorry, sorry you're right." Tony cursed. "So..."

"So, what?" Happy asked walking down the halls and looking for the room number. 

"How's Peter?" Tony said sounding exasperated. 

"I'm looking for his room right now." Happy stopped in front of a door. Room 219. This was it. The nurse had told him it was just a temporary room until Peter woke up from the sedative. 

"I'm parking my car right now, what's his room number?" Tony asked. 

Happy stopped in surprise. "How... You know what nevermind. I don't need to know how you got here so fast. It's room 219." 

"Got it." Tony said hanging up the phone. 

Happy looked through the window and he could see Peter laying on a hospital bed. He couldn't tell if he was actually asleep or if he was faking it. 

Happy placed his hand on the door handle ready to open it. 

"Hey," Happy jumped. He turned around and saw Tony jogging over to him. 

"Jesus! What'd you do? Run the whole way over here?" Happy glared at him incredulous. His heart beating rapidly from the shock. 

Tony let out a tired breath. "Yes."  
"So what are we waiting for?" He gestured to the door. Happy moved back and gave Tony space to go first.   
...

Tony opened the door hesitantly. He'd been badgering Happy the whole time about checking on the kid, but he wasn't actually sure how to handle this himself. 

As much as he loved the kid, he didn't know how to deal with this situation. He didn't want to mess this up and screw the kid up. 

Tony took a deep breath and turned the handle. There he was. Laying motionless on the bed. Tony ran a hand through his hair and stepped up to the bed. He heard the door close behind him and glanced over at Happy. 

He turned his eyes back over to Peter. There were dried tear tracks on hs face. A face that looked void of any emotion, void of anything really, except for the dark bags under his eyes. 

"Peter?" Tony called his name softly. Reaching over Tony pushed aside a stray hair off of Peter's face. 

"God," Tony sighed. "What the hell happened?" He looked over at Happy. 

"I don't know. All I was told was that she died. They didn't tell me how?" Happy shrugged. 

"Car accident maybe? Mugging?" Tony suggested. He took a seat in the chair beside Peter's bed. 

"They were talking to me from inside of Peter's house." Happy said quietly. 

Tony shook his head. "Hasn't he lost enough? He's only 15 and he's already lost his entire family." Tony sighed running a hand over his face. 

There was a knock at the door and he and Happy both looked up as the doctor walked in. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that there was anyone in here." Tony could see the shock on the doctor's face. The same shock that everyone wore when they saw him. 

"How's Peter doing?" Tony asked instead. Hoping to bypass the awkward starstruck stage. Luckily it didn't seem to be a problem for the doctor. 

The Doctor held out his hand, introducing himself as Dr. Andrews. Tony and Happy both shook his hand and waited for the man to fill them in on what was going on. 

Dr. Andrews cleared his throat. Walking over to the bed he checked Peter over. The kid was still as stone, only movement being his chest moving slowly up and down. He didn't wake at the hands touching him. 

"I thought he'd be awake by now." Tony said more to Happy than to the doctor. He figured Peter's crazy fast metabolism would have eaten through the drugs by now. 

"His vitals are good, but he's been through a lot, give him some time he'll wake up soon." The doctor told them. 

"Do you know how she died? His aunt?" Tony asked softly. 

The doctor looked at them sadly. "Suicide." 

Tony stiffened. He looked over at the doctor in surprise. "Are you sure?" Tony couldn't believe that. May loved Peter with all her heart, there was no way she would leave him like that. He told the doctor as much. 

"Grief is a very serious thing. If not handled properly it can leave a person to do something that they might not have ever imagined doing. You never know. I advise you to watch Peter closely, he's lost a lot in his young life." The doctor said softly, emotion in his voice. 

"You seem like this has hurt you personally." Tony looked the man over, noticing the concern on the mans face. 

Dr. Andrews sighed sadly. "I was the doctor on call when Peter's uncle was brought in, and he told me about the loss of his parents when he was younger. To lose so many people at such a young age," the man sighed. "It's heartbreaking."

Tony nodded in agreement. The kid was only 15, and he had no family left. No, that wasn't true. Peter had him, and suddenly a thought hit him. Peter had no family left. No living relatives. Social services would be coming for him. 

Tony looked at the kid lying in the bed, the kid that he had started to secretly think of as his kid. He wouldn't let him slip from his fingers. Social services could shove it. Tony pulled out his phone, he was going to get custody of his kid. 

"Tony?" Happy asked looking at him in confusion. "Who are you calling? Pepper?"

"No, my lawyers." Tony said. God, he'd forgotten all about Pepper, what was she going to think when she woke up to find that he'd taken in a kid without her input. Tony shook his head, no it wouldn't matter. Pepper loved Peter just as much as he did. She would probably have initiated the calls to his layers if she were aware of what was happening. 

"Lawyers?" Happy asked confused. The doctor looked at him with the same look. 

"You guys are required to call social services in cases like these right? Peter's a minor, he has no other living relative that I'm aware of." Tony said to the doctor. 

The doctor nodded his head. "Yes, that's usually the case when there is no other relative or guardian in place."

"Yea, no, see that's not going to happen. I need Peter to come home with me. That's what has to happen, that's what's going to happen. He doesn't need to be worrying about where he's going to live when he wakes up, he's going to have enough going on as it is." Tony looked back over at his phone. 

"Mr. Stark, there is no need for you to call your lawyers." Doctor. Andrews said matter of fact. 

Tony lifted his eyebrow. "And why is that?" His fingers were still hovering over the call button. 

"Peter's aunt already picked a guardian to watch over him if anything were to happen to her." The doctor continued. 

Tony stiffened. "And who might that be?" He asked shortly. He was already thinking of ways to get custody. Who else could this person even be? And if there was someone else who was supposed to be Peter's "guardian" then where the hell were they? Huh? 

Dr. Andrews looked at Tony with raised eyebrows. "I thought you were aware of this."

Tony rolled his eyes. Clearly he had no idea what the hell the doctor was talking about, and his patience was running thin. "Aware of what?"

Dr. Andrews looked Tony in the eyes. "His aunt named you as Peter's legal guardian." Doctor Andrews informed him. 

Tony looked at the doctor in shock. Well, that was unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Kudos, and comments are always welcome. See you next week! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~Hey everyone thanks for all the reviews and kudos. Here's the next chapter! :)

Tony looked at Dr. Andrews in surprise. "Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I'm very sure. I have the papers if you would like to see them." The doctor told him. 

Tony looked at Happy in confusion. It wasn't that he wasn't relieved that he wouldn't need to fight tooth and nail to get custody of the kid, not at all. It was more the fact that May never liked him all that much. In fact she told him so on many occasions. She hated that he got Peter into the hero business, and it didn't seem to matter to her that Peter had been spider-man long before Tony even knew him. 

No, that wasn't the point. The point was that when he figured out that spider-man was only a 14 year old kid, he took said kid out of the country to help fight a war that the kid had no business fighting. And in all that, he didn't tell the one person who should know what was going on a single thing. She was angry that he didn't seem concerned with Peter's well fare. 

He'd tried to explain to her that he did in fact care for Peter. It was the reason he made him the suit. Fitted with all sorts of things to protect him, and warn Tony if something was wrong. He assumed that she still felt strongly about him not being a good role model for Peter. 

Apparently he was wrong. 

Tony turned back to the doctor. "Well that definitely helps things." He said softly. He still couldn't believe that she was gone. That she'd been in so much pain that she'd taken her own life. How could he have not known. Was Peter feeling the same way too, was there something that Tony had missed in their few phone calls? 

"Yes, well there are obviously some paper work that you will need to fill out and I'm certain that child services will need to see you, but when Peter wakes up you are free to take him home." Dr. Andrews said. 

"Yea, ok. Thank you." Tony said looking at the kid still laying unconscious on the hospital bed. 

The doctor smiled kindly and stepped out of the room. 

"Shouldn't his body have run through the the sedative already?" Happy asked concerned. 

Tony nodded his head, taking his seat by the bed and putting his head in his hands. "Maybe he just needs a little more time." He'd lost his parents too and the time after their death was a blur for him. All he could really remember was that there was a lot of alcohol and a lot of women involved. He was lucky to have had Rhodey as his best friend. That man helped him through a lot. 

Tony sighed for the millionth time that night. Dragging his hands down his face, Tony looked up at Peter and startled. The kid was staring straight at him. Eyes red and distant. 

"Peter." Tony said softly surprise in his voice. At first Peter didn't move, he didn't even blink, just stared right at him. It was unnerving. 

"Peter, can you hear me?" Tony tried again. This time his voice was filled with worry and fear. What if he'd finally broken? Maybe he'd lost one too many people in his life and he couldn't cope anymore. Tony was ready to call in Dr. Andrews. 

Peter continued to look at him, or more like through him. And then suddenly his eyes focused in on Tony. He blinked once, twice then a third time and then something resembling confusion took over the blankness from before. 

"Mr. Stark?" His voice was rough and he cleared it a few times before continuing. "Mr. Stark, what are you doing here?"

Tony looked at Peter hesitantly. "Peter, do you remember what happened?" He asked carefully. 

Peter was quiet for a few seconds and then he nodded. 

"You didn't need to come, I'm sorry for calling you Happy." He looked over at the man standing by the door. "I don't know, I just didn't know what to do?" Then he seemed to remember something. "Mr. Stark weren't you supposed to be out of town?" Peter asked changing the subject. 

Tony scrunched his eyebrows. "Yea. I just got home a few hours ago. But Peter-"

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Stark!" Peter straightened up in the bed. "What time is it? You really didn't have to come." He repeated straightening up his shirt, Tony could see his hands shaking. 

"Peter, stop." Tony grabbed his hands, and looked him in his eyes. "I wanted to be here. I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you needed me. It was good that you called Happy though."

Peter nodded. 

"Peter, I... I'm so sorry about your aunt." Tony spoke the words carefully. "We both are." He said including Happy. 

Peter shrugged, "Yea, well..." He trailed off. "Do you uh, never mind." He said changing his mind. He looked away from Tony. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye. He swiped hurriedly at his face. 

"Hey," Tony said gripping his chin softly and lifting his head up, turning his face back to him. His thumb moved of its own accord, dabbing at the still falling tears. "What is it?"

Peter looked at him worried. "Do you know what's going to happen to me?" He asked softly, hesitantly, like he knew the answer and was afraid to hear it.

"Yup, you're coming home with me." Tony said firmly. 

Peter looked at him in shock, "No, uh, you don't have to do that Mr. Stark. I'm not your responsibility." He said quickly, shaking his head. 

Tony nodded. "Yes, you actually are my responsibility now. Your aunt put me down as your guardian."

Peter's eyes widened, and the kid looked like he wanted to apologize again. 

"Hey, I want you to know that even if she didn't, I would have had my lawyers on it. This just makes it so much easier on you." Tony wanted him to know that he didn't feel forced into taking him in, he loved the kid as if he were his own son. 

Peter didn't look too convinced but he seemed to accept what Tony was saying. He had to admit that he was a little worried that Peter seemed to be doing as well as he was. He'd just lost his aunt in a horrific way. He would have expected way more than a few tears. 

"What do you say we get you out of here Pete." Maybe a change of scenery would help him. 

"I'll see if I can find Dr. Andrews." Happy said stepping out.

Peter looked at the door as Happy walked out. He nodded his head at Tony. Peter didn't have anything to take with him. He was still in his clothes from before. Tony cringed at the bloodstains that covered them. He hadn't noticed them before, and he wasn't sure if Peter knew they were there either. 

Eager to get Peter home and out of his stained clothes Tony stood up. 

Peter swung his legs off the bed and sat sidways, his legs dangling off the side. 

Seconds later both Happy and Dr. Andrews walked inside. 

"Peter, it's good to see you awake. I'm Dr. Andrews, I don't know if you remember me."

Peter nodded his head and gave the doctor a small smile. It didn't reach his eyes. 

"Hi Dr. Andrews. I remember you." Was all Peter said. 

Tony didn't blame him. The last time Peter probably saw the man was the night his uncle died. 

"I just have some papers for Mr. Stark to sign and then you're free to go." Dr. Andrews said softly. 

Happy, made eye contact with Tony. "I'm gonna bring the car around." 

Tony nodded his head. He signed the papers and gave the doctor an appreciative smile. 

"Thank you for everything Dr. Andrews." Tony shook the doctor's hand. 

Dr. Andrews smiled. "If you need anything, be sure to give me a call."

Tony nodded his head and glanced at Peter. The kid didn't seem to be paying any attention to what was going on. 

"Come on kid." Tony slung an arm around Peter's neck. 

Peter stiffened slightly and then relaxed into the touch. They walked out of the hospital room.

When they reached the hallway Peter stopped. 

Tony loked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "What is it Pete?"

Peter looked like he was struggling to find what he wanted to say. Tony didn't push him, he simply waited for Peter to gather his words. 

"What am I supposed to do? Like with the funeral and her bod...body?" He asked hesitantly, his voice catching on the last word. 

Tony grimaced. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll take care of everything, okay? Unless, unless you want to be involved?"

Peter shook his head in the negative. "No, no I don't want to." He said, hands wringing together.

"Okay, okay." Tony placed his hands on Peter's shoulders. He looked down at Peter, looking him in the eyes. "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. That's what you got me for ok? I'll handle everything." 

Peter seemed to breathe a breath of relief. Nodding his head he kept his eyes facing the floor. 

"Alright. Come on." Tony guided Peter out of the hospital and to the waiting car. He'd have to have his car picked up tomorrow. 

Peter hesitated at the car door. Tony stopped with him, wondering what he could be thinking. At Peter's glance back at the hospital Tony could take a guess. Peter was leaving his aunt. After today the next time he would see her would be the funeral. 

Tony let him linger by the door, a few seconds later Peter climbed inside. Tony followed him silently into the car. He wasn't sure what to do, he barely remembered how Rhodey got through to him. Tony put his arm around Peter and slowly Peter leaned into the touch, his head dropping onto Tony's shoulder. 

Tony looked down as something wet dropped onto his shirt and he rubbed Peter's shoulder, hoping that it was giving the kid some sort of comfort. 

The drive felt all too fast and all too slow at the same time. Before he knew it they were pulling up to the Tower. Pepper was probably wondering where he went off to in the middle of the night, and he'd put his phone on silent after reaching Peter's room. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. Five missed calls. All from Pepper. 

Well, there was no point in calling her back. They'd already reached the Tower. Tony looked down at Peter, still leaning silently on his shoulder. He thought he might have fallen asleep, but his eyes were still open, although he did in fact look like he needed to sleep. His eyes were droopy and bloodshot. 

"Hey, were here." He heard Peter sigh, but the kid slowly lifted his head and just sat there waiting for him to get out. 

"Does Pepper know?" Peter asked softly, not specifying what exactly it was he was referring to. 

"No, I don't think so. I never got the chance to call her." Tony took a guess. Whatever it was he was asking about the answer was no anyways. She didn't know about Peter's aunt, she didn't know that Tony now had full custody of him, and she didn't know that he was now coming to live with them. To Tony's knowledge she had no idea what was going on. 

Peter gave him a worried look.

"It's okay, Pepper loves you kid." He wanted to reassure him that this was his home now, and that they were his family. He wouldn't be alone again. But was that too soon? Peter just lost his aunt, and Tony didn't want the kid to think that they were trying to take her place in his life.

Peter nodded his head, sort of like he'd realized that he didn't have a choice in the matter anyways. 

Tony sighed internally. He opened the car door and stepped out, Peter stepped out after him. He nodded to Happy and he and Peter walked into the building. 

The ride up the elevator was taken in silence, Tony not knowing what to say to break it. 

When they stepped out Pepper was there. She smiled sadly at Peter and rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. 

"Peter, I'm so sorry." Her eyes were watery. 

Peter simply wrapped his arms around her as well. 

Tony stood to the side looking at the scene. They were Peter's family now. 

Pepper pulled away from Peter her hand going to his face and wiping at the tears there. 

"I know it doesn't feel like it right now, and it probably won't for a long time, but you will get through this. Me and Tony are gonna help you get through this." Peter nodded his head dejected. 

"Can I go to my room?" He asked in such a despondent way that Tony's heart broke. 

"Yea bud, go ahead. Everything's like you left it." Tony said. 

With Tony mentoring him, Peter spent a lot of his time at the tower. So much so that Tony ended up making one of the guest rooms Peter always feel asleep in his permanent room. As time went by Peter started leaving random things there and the tower slowly became his second home. 

Peter nodded. "Thanks," he said before slowly making his way to his room. 

Tony sighed and leaned against the wall, running a hand over his face. He looked at Pepper with a questioning gaze. 

"Happy called me." She said, not sounding the least bit upset that he hadn't told her. 

"I'm sorry Pep. I was focused on being there for Peter, I completly forgot to call you." Tony explained. 

"Shh, it's okay honey. I know." She walked over to him and placed her hands around his neck. "How are you doing?"

Tony let out a breath of air. "I don't know. I'm sad and I'm worried about Peter. But I'm so mad at her Pep, how could she be so heartless? How could she leave him like that?" Tony couldn't fight the tears from falling. Now that he was away from Peter he could express his feelings. 

"I mean he just lost his uncle. How could she do that?" Tony said confusion and anger mixing together. 

"Tony, I know what she did feels like it was selfish. Leaving that little boy with no family. But no one knows what grief can make a person do. Yes, Peter lost his uncle. But May lost her husband. Some people just can't push past that grief." Pepper said sadly. 

Tony dipped his head, letting it fall on his wife's shoulder. "I don't know how he's going to make it through this. He's lost so much already."

Pepper ran her fingers through his head. "Were going to get him through this. He won't lose anyone else he cares about." 

Tony lifted his head at her determined voice. "Yea, he won't lose anyone else." Tony repeated unfaltering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Thanks for reading everyone! Next chapter we'll be getting some Peter POV. Kudos and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Hey guys, thanks for all the kudos and comments! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

Peter closed the door to his room. His room. Those words took on a whole new meaning now. This had always been his room, he'd slept here on many different ocassions, but now this was where he'd sleep for good. 

He walked over to the dresser and opened it up. Not really paying any attention to what was in there, he grabbed a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and walked into the bathroom. He'd been trying to keep his aunt off his mind, as much as he possibly could. 

The second he walked into the bathroom though he froze. His eyes widened in shock and he looked down at himself as if the mirror itself was playing tricks with him. It wasn't. His clothes were painted red. Covered in what could only be his aunt's blood. 

His hands moved of their own accord, hesitantly touching the dried spots. He noticed they were shaking, but no matter how hard he tried to stop them they just wouldnt. 

Something wet dropped onto his hands and he jerked back, looking up at the ceiling. Seeing nothing his focus returned to the blood covering his clothes. His breath caught in his throat and his whole body began to shake. 

He had to get out of these clothes. He couldn't have her blood on him. He already blamed himself for her death, he couldn't have her blood on him. Literally. 

His breaths started to come in gasps as he hurriedly removed his clothes, clawing at the fabrics. 

"Peter you seem to be having a panic attack. Would you like me to call Mr. Stark?" FRIDAY asked. 

Peter heard her speaking and if he were more aware of his situation he would have told her not to. But he couldn't focus on anything other than getting out of his stained clothing. 

He successfully pulled his jeans off and he was trying to get his shirt off next, but it got tangled in his arms. And that's when he realized that he couldn't breathe. He was trying to suck air into lungs that wouldn't expand. 

He struggled pulling fruitlessly at his tangled arms, but they wouldnt come loose. All he wanted was to get out of these clothes! 

Peter dropped to the floor as his breaths got shorter and shorter. 

Suddenly he felt hands yanking off the shirt, but when it was off he still couldn't seem to catch his breath. He looked up at Mr. Stark in fear. 

"Pete, it's okay buddy. I need you to breathe for me okay?" Tony said calmly. 

Peter tried to tell him that he couldn't, that was the whole problem, but he couldn't get a breath in to speak. 

"Ca-cant" he managed to get out. Tears fell from his eyes and down his face. He was dying. He didn't want to die, and that thought alone just made him cry harder. 

"Okay, okay. Just listen to my voice okay?" Mr. Stark pulled his head to his chest. "Listen to the sound of my breathing and follow it." 

Peter nodded shakily. 

"In, one, two, three. Out, one, two, three." Peter followed Tony's voice. "Again." Peter did exactly what Tony said. And after a few minutes Peter felt his breathing finally evening out. He took a shaky breath, and leaned his head heavily on Tony's chest. Exhausted. 

"How you felling Pete?" Tony asked leaning against the bathroom wall, Peter still leaning against his chest basically naked. He was still out of it enough that the embarrassment hadnt set in yet. 

"Better." Peter whispered, he felt too tired to say anymore, he was too tired for the shower that he planned on taking before, but he could still feel the phantom blood all over his skin. The actual blood on his hands. He shuddered at the thought. 

"You still want to take that shower?" Tony asked him, seeming to realize that that would be his main focus. 

Peter nodded his head slowly. 

"Okay, well you don't look like you'll be too steady on your feet." Tony said. 

Peter nodded. "I need to get it off." He whispered. 

Mr. Stark didn't ask him what he meant so he assumed that meant he understood. 

"Okay. You want to talk about what happened?" Tony asked. 

Peter shook his head. "I just want to take a shower." 

He felt Mr. Stark nod his head. "Okay. You ready?" He asked. 

Peter nodded, but he didn't move his head from its position on Mr. Stark's chest. 

"You're gonna have to get up if you want to take that shower kid." Mr. Stark chuckled. 

Peter grunted. He waited a few more seconds before he moved his head. Mr. Stark helped him from his position on the floor. 

"You sure you gonna be okay in there? FRIDAY'S not gonna call me telling me you slipped in the tub or something is she?" Tony asked him warily. 

Peter chuckled "No, I'm okay Mr. Stark. Really. Thank you." His cheeks starting to redden now that he was more aware of his situation. And the fact that he was only in his underwear. 

"Alright kid." Mr. Stark said hesitantly heading out the door. "If you need me, call me. Or Pepper."

Peter nodded, dropping his head. He waited for Mr. Stark to close the door and then he headed into the shower. 

He stayed in there longer than he probably should have. His fingers pruning up, but he just couldn't stop scrubbing. He just wanted to get every ounce of blood off of him. He finally stepped out of the shower long after the water had turned cold. 

Looking down at the pile of clothes scattered across the floor Peter purposefully chose to ignore them and left the bathroom, he'd clean it up tomorrow.

Tomorrow seemed so far away from now. This night had been the longest night he'd ever experienced, and the worst. It topped every horrible thing he could think of, including his uncle's death. 

He was exhausted and at the same time too afraid to go to sleep. Wondering what the time was, he went looking for his phone. It wasn't untill he realized that it was probably in the pocket of his bloodstained pants that he decided that it wasn't that important. There wasn't anyone he wanted to talk to right now anyways. 

He walked slowly to the bed and dropped onto the covers. His mind ket trying to bring up the horrific scene from his aunt's bathroom, but he firmly pushed it away. He lay on the bed, mind now void of anything, and try as he might he just couldn't hold on to consciousness anymore. He drifted off to sleep.   
...

He'd forgotten to close the blinds last night and woke up to the sun shining in the room. He was immediately aware as to what happened the night before. 

It wasn't like the books, where the character got that one amazing moment to be blissfully unaware of the situation they were in. No, he remembered everything. He closed his eyes and once again forced himself to forget. He was thankful that he seemed to have had a peaceful night at least. No nightmares. 

A buzzing at the side of his head had him turning in confusion. 

His phone was sitting on the counter. He looked at it puzzled. He knew that it was originally in his jeans. The ones that were supposed to still be in the bathroom. He knew he didn't get it, so that meant that Mr. Stark must have done it. He must have been too exhausted to realize he'd come into the room. 

Seeing that it was morning and he shouldn't hide away in his room forever, no matter how tempting it was, Peter let out a sigh and got up. 

He picked up his phone and turned it on. There were three missed calls and seven text messages. 

Looking over at the calls he saw that two were from Ned, and the last one Michelle. 

All but two of the texts were from Ned, the other two also being from Michelle. They were his only friends after all. 

Scrolling through the messages he suddenly realized that today was a school day. Friday to be exact. He jumped up off the bed in alarm. He was late, like super late. 

Looking at the time he realized that late was an understatement. It was noon. School started at seven thirty in the morning and ended at two thirty. He sat back down. There was no point in even going now. 

Sighing Peter went back to scrolling through his messages. 

The majority of Ned's were him wondering where he was, and asking if he was okay. Michelle's were along the same line, but also reminding him of their decathlon practice Monday after school. 

They didn't know what happened. How could they? Would he have to tell them? He shook his head, he didn't want to think about that. 

He put his phone down, promising himself to text them both later. 

He went to the bathroom first and noticed that the clothes were gone. Honestly they could stay gone for all he cared. He didn't think that he ever wanted to wear them again. 

Washing up he headed out the bedroom.

He realized, after leaving his room and walking towards the living room that he should have asked FRIDAY where Mr. Stark and Mrs. Potts were.

"He's been asleep for awhile Pep." He could hear Tony say from the kitchen. "He didn't even hear me in his room."

"He's exhausted Tony. Both physically and mentally. Yesterday was really bad and it's not going to get better anytime now. If he needs to sleep, let him sleep." Pepper replied. 

"I know." Tony sighed. "I just don't want him to get stuck in his head. You didn't see him last night, it just about broke my heart." 

Peter looked down. He didn't mean to scare him. Peter cleared his throat and stepped around the corner. 

"Peter," Tony said. He looked at him surprised. 

"Hey Mr. Stark. Hi Ms. Potts." Peter said with a small smile. 

Hi Peter, and it's Pepper, remember?" She said smiling. 

Peter nodded his head. 

"We set a plate for you in the oven." Pepper said, "I have a meeting to get to, but I'll be back by dinner." She said smiling. She kissed Tony on the lips and then kissed the top of his head, giving him a firm hug as well. 

Peter wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on her shoulder. She pulled away from Peter and softly rubbed his cheek before walking away. 

Peter looked over at Tony uncertainly. 

"Come here kiddo." Tony called him over. He pulled out the plate of food from the oven and laid it in the empty space. 

Peter trudged over, shoulders slumped, feeling heavy all of a sudden. He took a seat beside Tony and picked up his fork, looking completly disinterested. He knew with his metabolism that he needed to eat more often than normal, but he just didn't have the appetite. 

Tony gave him a few seconds before speaking. "How are you feeling?"

Peter shrugged, still pushing his food around. "I'm missing school." 

Tony sighed. "Yea, I kind of figured that taking at least one day off was okay." Mr. Stark looked at the phone sitting on the counter. "I saw you had a few calls from your friends last night."

Peter nodded. He looked over at Tony with a questioning look. 

"I don't want to tell them. I mean, I think they should know, but I don't want to be the one to say it. I can't." Peter looked back down. His breakfast was definitely cold now, and he hadn't taken a single bite yet. His stomach churning at the sight. 

"That's okay. I can talk to them if you want." Tony said, giving him an understanding look. 

Peter nodded his head. After that he stayed quiet for a long time. Tony seemed content to just sit with him. "Don't you have things to do? Projects to work on or something?" He wondered. He didn't like that he was taking up Mr. Stark's time. 

"No, not today. Today I'm staying here with you, in case you need me." Tony explained. 

Peter dropped his fork, eyes wide. "You don't need to do that."

"I know, but I want to." Tony gave him a serious look. Silence once again took over the space. 

"I'm sorry that I'm such a mess." Peter said softly, wiping at a tear. It sucked that he was causing Mr. Stark to miss work. 

"Peter, you're not a mess. You're hurting, and I understand a little of what you're feeling right now." Mr. Stark said. 

"You're parents?" Peter asked carefully. He knew the man didn't like to talk about them too much, especially after what he'd found out about their deaths.

Tony nodded his head. "Yea, when they died it took me a long time to get through it. If you want to talk about messes, now I was a mess." He said with a small laugh. "Did a lot of things that I won't be telling you about."

Peter chuckled. 

"But the important thing was that I wasn't alone. Even having lost everything I still had someone by my side. My bestfriend."

"Rhodey." Peter said already knowing this much of the story. 

"Yea." Mr. Stark said softly. "If it weren't for him I'd be a very diffrent person then who I am. He was there for me through everything, good and bad. And believe me there were a lot of bad times."

Peter stayed silent. It was rare for Mr. Stark to talk about this type of stuff, and even though it made Peter sad, he found that he wanted to hear it. It was reassuring to know that he wouldn't feel this bad forever. Because right now it felt like the pain would never end. 

"I know that it hurts, but I promise you it won't hurt forever no matter how much it feels like it will. And just like Rhodey was there for me, me and Pepper, even Happy are gonna help you through this." Peter couldn't help the sob that ripped from his chest. 

Mr. Stark didn't even hesitate. He guided Peter to the couch and sat them both down. Tony pulled him into his chest and Peter let him. He spent the next half hour crying. Mr. Stark stayed with him the whole time. 

Eventually Peter did stop crying, but he kept his head on Mr. Stark's chest. Tony turned the TV on and put it on low, letting it distract them, a low buzz in the otherwise quiet room. 

That's how Pepper found the two of them hours later. Him curled up in Tony's arms, Tony's fingers carding through his hair, soothing him. Their eyes glued to the TV, though neither one of them were actually paying attention. Just laying in each other's arms, content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Thanks for reading guys. Next week we'll be seeing Ned and Michelle, and maybe a visit from the War Machine? See you next week! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Hey guys. Sorry for updating later than usual I had a busy workload, but as an apology, this chapter is a little longer than normal so enjoy!

It was still early when Tony tucked Peter into bed. He knew that the kid was too old for it, but it was a small comfort that Tony believed he needed.

A flash of light caught his eye, and he looked over to the side table beside Peter. Ned’s name showed brightly across the screen. Tony sighed and picked up the phone, surprised to see that it wasn't password protected.

He waited until he was outside of the room and the door was closed before he answered the phone.

“Peter!” the kid on the other end of the phone shouted. Tony winced at the pitch. “Peter where have you been? Are you all right? I've been trying to get a hold of you all day!” Tony briefly wondered if all the kid's Peter’s age just talked continuously like that.

“Peter are you there?” the boy asked reminding Tony that he hadn't answered him.

“Hey, Ned right?” Tony asked.

“Um...Yes?” Ned said as if he was wondering whether he should be giving out his name to someone that clearly wasn't Peter. “Who's this? And where is Peter?” Ned asked voice tinged in worry.

“Its Tony Stark,” Tony replied choosing to ignore the loud squeak that escaped the boy’s mouth and giving him enough time to pull himself together.

“Mr. Stark? As in Iron Man?” the boy asked, still in shock.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Wait, why are you answering Peter’s phone?” He suddenly asked finally realizing that something was up.

“Ned, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it. Peter’s aunt passed away last night.” He hoped he didn't make it sound as horrible as he thought he did. He really wasn't the best person for this, but Peter asked him to do it, so here he was.

There was a moment of silence where he couldn't even hear the sound of the kid breathing through the phone. “What?” Ned finally responded with after a moment.

“His aunt, she um, she passed away last night.” He repeated, there was definitely no need to give out the cause of death.

“Where’s Peter? Is he okay? I mean of course, he's not okay.” Tony could practically see the kid chastising himself.

“He’s asleep right now, but he wanted me to let you and your other friend Michelle? Know what happened. He most likely won’t be at school for a while.” Tony said trying his best to explain things to him.

“I understand. Um, I can let Michelle know.” He said in a voice that sounded doleful.

“Thanks Ned,” Tony said gratefully, and then immediately feeling back for letting this kid take responsibility for that. Although Michelle would probably take it better coming from someone she knew rather than a complete stranger. 

“Uh, Mr. Stark?” Ned asked hesitantly.

“Yea?” Tony asked.

“May, well, she was Peter’s last living relative.” He took a second before continuing. “Where is he going to go now?” Ned asked and Tony could hear the fear in the kid’s voice. He sounded just as scared as Peter had in the hospital room.

“Peter is going to be living with me. His aunt put me under as his legal guardian. That’s the one thing that Peter won't have to worry about.” He let Ned know.

Ned seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “That's good, that’s really good. Can you uh…can you tell Peter I called and that I’m really sorry about aunt May?”

“Yea, no problem Ned. I’m sure when he’s ready to talk he’ll call you. Just give him some time, okay?”

“Okay,” Ned whispered sounding gloomy. “Bye Mr. Stark.”

“Goodnight Ned.” Tony would have to make sure he called Ned’s parents as well, they needed to know not only for them but to be there for their son.

Tony slowly opened the door to Peter’s bedroom and placed the phone back on the counter. After making sure that Peter was indeed still fast asleep Tony quietly left the room and made his way into his and Pepper’s bedroom.

“Hey, what took you so long?” Pepper asked as he slid across the bed and laid down beside his wife.

“Ned called. Peter told me earlier that he didn't want to keep ignoring his friends, he just didn't want to be the one to tell them about his aunt. He asked me to let them know what happened.” He stared up at the ceiling. “Ned asked me where Peter was going to live now that his last remaining relative was gone. He sounded just as scared as Peter sounded that night in the hospital. Afraid that he’d probably have to go to a foster home, all alone.” Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“He’s not alone though Tony. He has you and he has me, and I know that even if May hadn't put you down as his legal guardian you would have taken him in anyways.”

“Of course I would have,” Tony said matter of fact.

“That's why I love you.” Pepper smiled and gave him a kiss. She curled up into his arms.

“I love you too,” Tony said wrapping his arm around her. They fell asleep not too long after that.

....

Tony’s eyes shot open and he looked around in confusion. Something had woken him up, but he wasn't sure what. Looking over at Pepper he saw her still fast asleep. Then he heard the lowered voice of FRIDAY telling him that Peter was having a nightmare.

There was a blinking light that Jarvis had clearly used as well so to not wake up Pepper as Tony had instructed. He quietly got out of bed and went to Peter’s room.

Cracking the door open he saw the sheets that were once covering the kid laying sprawled across the floor. Peter himself was laying on the bed tossing and turning, seeming to be in a nightmare. Tony walked into the room and over to where Peter lay in distress. He didn't want to wake the kid, knowing that there was a high chance that Peter wouldn't go back to sleep afterward, but he couldn't watch his obvious suffering any longer.

“Peter,” he called out to him, but it must not have been loud enough because he didn't show any signs of waking up.

“Peter,” he called a little louder and shook his shoulder. He could see Peter’s growing distress. Tears already showing on his face. So with a little more force Tony shook Peter a little harder, calling his name once more. After a few more seconds Peter jerked awake, his breathing a little labored.

“Mr. Stark?” He asked after taking in a couple of shaky breaths. “What are you doing in here?” 

“Just checking in on you,” Tony said knowing that the kid would feel extremely guilty about being the reason that he woke up.

Peter looked over at the time and then over at him. “At four in the morning?” He asked skeptically.

“Yea, I was on my way to get something to drink. You wanna go back to sleep?” Tony asked, already knowing the answer he was going to get.

Peter shook his head vehemently.

Tony inwardly sighed. “Alright then, let's go.” Tony stood up and picked up the sheets from the floor.

Peter raised an eyebrow up in confusion but stood up anyway. “Go where?” He asked as Tony tossed the sheets on the bed and led the way to the door.

Peter followed silently behind him. It still unnerved Tony how quiet the kid was now. He always had been a talker, practically stumbling over every sentence, and now he barely said more than a sentence. Tony walked into the kitchen and Peter sat on the barstool.

He moved around, opening cabinets and turning on stoves until he came back with two mugs. He handed one to Peter and kept the other for himself.

Peter looked up at him with a ghost of a smile. “Hot chocolate?”

“Yup,” Tony said proudly. It was just about the only kid-friendly drink he knew how to make, he even added a few marshmallows.

They made their way to the couch and sat beside each other. The silence still hung in the air.

“You want to talk about the dream?” Tony decided to go on and ask him.

Peter shook his head no. 

Tony nodded, he was not going to force him to talk when he wasn't ready. “You want to just sit here? Watch some TV?”

Peter nodded his head. So that's what they did, Peter moving closer to him. Even though they both could use the sleep, Tony stayed up with his kid, one staring blankly at the TV and the other only focusing on the boy beside him. As the night drew on and the sun slowly started to make its way up he felt the tell tell weight of Peter’s head on his shoulder. Soon the boy was fast asleep. 

Tony lifted the empty mug from Peter’s hand and placed it on the table in front of him. He maneuvered Peter so that he was laying down on the couch and he placed the blanket that Pepper kept on the couch across his body.

Making sure Peter was still fast asleep, Tony took the mugs with him into the kitchen stifling a yawn as well.

He was half asleep with a cup of fresh coffee in his hands when the sound of the elevator letting someone up pulled his attention. Not many people had access to this building without FRIDAY letting him know. He looked up not necessarily surprised at who he saw.

“Tony! I've been trying to reach you all day yesterday.” Rhodey chastised loudly. 

Tony shushed him and quickly glanced in the direction of the couch to make sure his friend didn’t wake up his kid.

“What’s Peter doing here?” Rhodey asked, eyes following the direction Tony’s looked in. 

Tony gestured for Rhodey to move closer into the kitchen. Rhodey followed giving Tony a questioning look.

“Peter’s going to be living here now,” Tony said still glancing over at the kid who still seemed to be fast asleep.

“He’s going to be staying here? With you and Pepper? Doesn't he live with his aunt?” Rhodey asked confused.

Tony sighed, he really hated having to retell this story over and over again. “Peter’s aunt passed away last night.”

Rhodey’s eyes widened. “Aw, man.” Rhodey glanced over at Peter on the couch. “Why’s he staying with you and not a relative? Is it because of spider-man?” he asked not unkindly.

“No, it’s not because of spider-man. He has no other relatives. His aunt was his last remaining one. She put me down as Peter’s guardian, though I would have taken him either way.” Tony said, wanting to make that known.

Rhodey nodded his head. “I know how much you care about him, Tony.”

Tony nodded his head, taking a big gulp of his coffee.

“What exactly happened? Not another mugging was it?” Rhodey asked.

Tony shook his head. He almost wished that it had been something like that. Or at least something that was out of May’s control. He knew that technically speaking grief isn't something that you can control without the proper help, but every time he thought about what happened all logic left his mind. She wasn't taken from Peter, May willingly chose to leave him.

Rhodey chose to take that long silence to mean that maybe it wasn't a question that Tony felt comfortable answering. “Hey, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.”

“She killed herself,” Tony said stiffly but softly so Peter wouldn't hear. He couldn't keep the anger from his voice though.

“Damn,” Rhodey said, shaking his head.

“How could she do that to him. Peter’s probably the sweetest kid I’ve ever known, and she willingly left him.” Tony sighed and did his best to calm down. He tried to think about what Pepper told him, but he was still too heated to think any other way.

“Ben was her husband,” Rhodey started to say.

“Yea, but he was Peter’s uncle. He lost somebody too.”

“Tony,” Rhodey said with a frown.

“I know I know. I just need some time, and for someone to be on my side a little.” He said a little selfishly.

“I’m angry too Tony, but I know that I can’t blame her completely. I’ve seen it with some of the family of the men in the military. People I’ve served with. You can’t know when someone is going to snap. She probably should have seen someone after Ben’s death, maybe it would have helped her, or maybe it wouldn't have. Depression is a terrifying disorder.” Rhodey said, glancing over at Peter.

“He’s going to need to talk to someone, Tony. He’s lost a lot of people in a short number of time. Give him some time to grieve, but don't let him keep everything bottled up. I have some numbers of great child psychologists.” Rhodey continued.

Tony nodded his head. “Yea, okay.” Tony would do just about anything to help Peter. He took another mug and filled it with coffee, handing it over to his friend.

Rhodey thanked him and took a sip. “What’s he doing on the couch anyway?” Rhodey asked.

“Nightmare. Woke up at four in the morning. I made him some hot chocolate and he fell asleep about thirty minutes ago.” Tony said taking another sip from his mug.

“I didn't know you could make hot chocolate.” Rhodey teased.

“I have a lot of skills that you don't know about,” Tony smirked causing Rhodey to roll his eyes.

“So what was so important that you had to track me down?” Tony asked, finishing the last of his coffee and refilling his cup.

“Steve called me,” Rhodey said with a bit of hesitance. He knew that things were still tense between Tony and the rest of the Avengers.

Tony stiffened. “What did he want?” He tried to say it nonchalantly, but he knew he wasn't fooling anyone.

Rhodey chose to ignore that, and instead focused on explaining what the call was about. “They're thinking about coming back, you know since the accords have basically been absolved.”

Tony wanted to question why Steve felt the need to go through Rhodey to talk to him, but he knew that it was better that he not speak directly to Steve at the moment. Call him stubborn, but he still wasn't entirely over what happened.

Tony nodded. “Well, I’m not stopping them.” He shrugged. “They can come back whenever they want.” 

Rhodey winced like there was something else he wanted to say. 

Tony sighed, “What is it?”

“They're on probation,” Rhodey said slowly. 

Tony looked at him, “And?”

“Look, I know its asking for a lot from you. Especially right now.” He looked over at Peter who still seemed to be sleeping. 

“I couldn't have said it better my self,” Tony said mulishly.

“But,” He interrupted Tony. “they need you to sign off on them coming back. They also need a place to stay.” 

Tony nodded his head slowly, not necessarily liking where this was going, but also not too surprised at the direction.

“Tony, like I said before, I know its a lot to ask. Hell, I was shocked he even called me after how we left things, but that should prove to you how desperate they are. If it makes you feel even a little bit better he sounded really uncomfortable on the phone.” 

Tony chuckled. “He should.” and it did make him feel better knowing that Steve most likely had a hard time asking him for help. “Alright.” Tony sighed. “I’m not sure how this is supposed to work with Peter being here now.”

Rhodey nodded his head. “Yea that’s right. But they won't be on this level so he should be fine.” He looked over at Tony for confirmation.

“Yea, they'll be on one of the lower levels, probably the one below this one.” It was already set up for the team, he just never thought that they'd actually be a team again. Tony looked over at Peter still asleep on the couch surprised that he hadn't had another nightmare yet. Maybe the kid could somehow sense that there were other people in the room with him. Whatever reason it was he was just thankful that the kid wasn't going to be sleep deprived like he was starting to feel.

“So when did they say they’ll be here by?” Tony asked as he looked back over at his friend.

Rhodey winced. “Sometime next week.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Well that’s not much of a warning is it.”

“Yea, I know. Don’t shoot the messenger. I could probably see if they can hold out for a few more weeks.” Rhodey suggested.

Tony sighed and shook his head. Nah, it's alright. That’s the whole point after all right? They have nowhere to go.”

Rhodey shrugged, really not wanting to ask more of him than he already was. 

“Yea, no, tell him that it's fine. I'll sign off on it and they can come on over next Saturday.” Tony relented.

Rhodey opened his mouth to thank him when Pepper walked into the room.

“Who’s coming next Saturday?” She asked with a confused face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Thanks for reading guys! Next week we will see how Pepper reacts to the news of the Avengers coming back. Plus another surprise. And Peter and Ned will finally be getting some bro time. See you next week. Like always kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Hey guys, here’s another chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy!

“Who’s coming next Saturday?” Pepper asked with a confused face.

Tony cringed. Pepper was not going to like this. When Tony came home after his fight with Steve and Barnes Pepper was livid. And when she found out about the rest of the Avengers siding with Steve, and Rhodey getting injured she was black-and-blue. So to say she wasn't going to be happy with the arrangements was an understatement.

“Tony?” Pepper asked again, looking over at him and waiting for him to answer. “Hey, Rhodey.” She added but turned her attention back on him.

“Okay, before I tell you anything, I want you to know that this wasn't my idea.” Tony started.

“Alright,” Pepper sighed. What’s going on?” She looked at both Tony and Rhodey with eyebrows raised.

“The rest of the Avengers are coming back, and they’re staying in one of the lower levels,” Tony said, avoiding eye contact.

Pepper was quiet for a bit and Tony could practically see the steam rising from her ears.

“Why?” was all she asked though, but it wasn’t asked in a pleasant way.

“They may not be fugitives anymore, but they’re still on probation and for some ridiculous reason I’m the one that’s been appointed as the “person in charge.” He said using air quotes. “So if they want to keep their freedom than they actually have no choice but to live here, under my roof,” Tony said.

“Right. You were the only one that they could find? Really?” she gave him a look. “What about someone from shield?”

“They’d never go for that, besides if we ever want to put the team back together were gonna have to learn to work with each other again, and that kinda starts with being in close proximity with each other as well.” Tony gave her a look. It was rare that he was the reasonable one out of the two.

“Okay, but what about Peter? I really don’t think that this is the best thing for him right now. He’s grieving, he doesn’t need a bunch of ex avengers crowding him.” Pepper said looking over at the couch where she knew Peter was sleeping.

“I know, and I’m gonna make sure that they stay as far away from him as possible. Besides, it’ll be like their own place down there, they won't really need to be in constant contact with us, at least not for a while.” He could only hope that is.

“Okay, so do we know who exactly is coming? Is it all of them?” Pepper asked pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Tony glanced over at Rhodey, he never really thought about that part. He knew that obviously Rogers was coming, and most likely Romanoff, but other than those two, he wasn’t sure about who else would be coming.

“You’re the one that talked to Rogers, any idea on who we should be expecting?” Tony asked his friend.

“Uh, actually no. I’m not actually sure either, except for the obvious that is. Steve, Natasha, maybe Sam will be here. Clint and Scott both have families, I’m not sure if they’re gonna be allowed to stay with them though, at least for a few months that is. So they’re most likely gonna be here too. There’s still no word on Vision and Wanda though.”

“Right.” Tony sighed, rubbing his face. Hearing all their names was enough to make the situation that much clearer. That much real.

“Still no word from Bruce?” Pepper asked, changing the subject. Clearly sensing Tony’s impending stress.

Tony shakes his head, gladly accepting the change of subject, even though this topic wasn’t any less stressful.

“God, it’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth or something.” Tony threw his hands in the air in frustration. “I haven’t seen any sign of him anywhere. I’ve had FRIDAY scanning everywhere possible, and nothing. I don’t get it.” Tony let out a tired breath.

“Do you think he’s...” Rhodey trailed off.

“No! I mean, I don’t think so. Maybe...I don’t know.” He shook his head. Who was he kidding, there was a very real possibility that Banner was dead, Tony just didn’t want to think about it.

Movement on the couch had everyone’s attention shifting.

Tony saw Peter sit up on the couch and look around in confusion. He clearly didn’t seem to remember how he got there. Tony watched him for a quick second before he started making his way over to him. “Hey, Pete.”

“Hey, Mr. Stark.” Peter looked over at him.

“You’ve been asleep for a few hours, you hungry yet?” Tony asked.

“Not really.” Peter murmured rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked so much younger when he did that.

“Yeah I know, but you’re gonna eat something anyways right? For me?” Tony asked with an encouraging smile.

Peter nodded his head if a little reluctantly.

“Who’s in the kitchen? I don’t know the voice.” Peter asked not felling the need to look in that direction.

“How’d you know-” Tony started to ask.

Peter pointed to his ears.

“Right.” Tony always seemed to forget that Peter could hear just about anything. “It’s Rhodey, he just came by for a visit.”

Peter nodded his head. “Oh, okay.” It was a little disappointing to see that even the mention of War Machine in their kitchen didn’t bring a hint of excitement to his kid. He guessed it was to be expected though. 

“How long have you been up?” Tony asked curiously.

Peter shrugged. “I don’t know, a few minutes I guess.”

Tony took a seat on the coffee table in front of Peter. “So, did you hear what we were talking about in there?”

“Yeah.” Peter nodded his head. “So... they’re really all coming back?”

“Yup,” Tony said.

“And you’re really letting them.” Peter’s voice sounded a little incredulous.

“That’s the plan.” Tony looked up at Peter wondering what was going on.

“Even after what they did. What he did?” Peter looked at him in confusion. 

Tony sighed. “Yeah I know, but we all took sides. The fight at the airport was bad but..”

“I’m not talking about what happened at the airport. I’m talking about what happened after that. Between you, Captain Rogers, and Mr. Barnes.” Peter interrupted him. Tony could hear the way Peter’s voice lowered in a sort of a growl at the other two names.

Tony let out a surprised chuckle, appreciating the loyalty Peter seemed to have for him. He wasn’t sure how Peter even knew what happened at the Hydra facility, but he really shouldn’t be all that surprised. This was the same kid who, with the help of his best friend, hacked the spider suit.

“How do you know about what went down at the Hydra facility?” Tony asked.

Peter avoided eye contact. “I might have maybe, accidentally, stumbled onto the footage of the fight from that night.” He said sheepishly.

“Accidentally?” Tony asked unbelievingly, eyebrows raised.

Peter finally looked up at him shamefaced. “Okay, so maybe I purposely dug into your suits footage. It’s just that when you came back to the hotel room all beat up, I was worried.”

Tony gave him a small smile. “I understand that it probably freaked you out when you saw me that night...” He trailed off as a thought occurred to him. “Wait, when did you even have time to “stumble” across that footage?” Tony looked at him in confusion. Whenever Peter came to the tower Tony was always with him. He never let the kid go into his lab alone.

“I snuck into the lab that weekend that I stayed over, you know when...” Peter trailed off.

Tony winced. He knew the weekend Peter was talking about. The week May was out of town for the whole weekend and had no choice but to leave Peter with him and Pepper.

“Anyways,” Peter said shaking his head, along with the obvious painful memories. “I guess I just got curious.”

Tony shook his head.

“How could you forgive them so easily,” Peter asked.

Tony’s eyes widened at those words. “First of all, don’t think that this little breach of privacy is going to go unmentioned.”

Peter grimaced but nodded his head in understanding.

“And second, I never said that I forgave them,” Tony informed him.

“So then, why are you letting them stay here?” Peter wondered.

“Because it’s the right thing to do. They can’t be fugitives forever. And since when were you so against forgiveness. You’re like the king of second chances.” Tony was honestly confused.

“Well I guess I’ve changed,” Peter grumbled.

Tony hummed. “Okay.” He wasn’t going to question Peter on that. Not yet at least. “How about that breakfast?”

Peter looked relieved at the change of topic, even though he wasn’t too keen on the actual eating part.

Tony stood and Peter reluctantly followed. God, the kid had to be starving by now. He’d barely eaten anything since the day before and with his metabolism, the hunger had to be eating through his stomach. Even though he still didn’t look like he had much of an appetite Tony was willing to force-feed him if he had to.

“Hey honey,” Pepper said kissing the top of Peter’s head.

“Morning Mrs. Potts, I mean Pepper,” Peter said a little flustered, still not really comfortable with calling her, or any adult really, by their first name.

“Hey Peter,” Rhodey said as Peter sat at the kitchen counter.

“Hi Mr. Rhodes,” Peter said offering the man a small smile.

Rhodey smiled back. “You know you can call me Rhodey if you want,” he said.

Peter nodded his head, but they all knew that it was going to take more than a suggestion for him to change his ways. He still called Tony Mr. Stark after all. 

“I was sorry to hear about your aunt,” Rhodey said placing a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” Peter mumbled, letting an uneasy silence fill the room.

“Alright kid, so what will it be?” Tony asked, once again changing an uncomfortable topic. “I can make you some pancakes, or maybe some waffles? Any suggestions?”

Peter just shrugged, not really looking interested in either option.

“I suggest the waffles, chocolate chip specifically. It’s what he’s best at.” Pepper said gathering the supplies for Tony.

“Rhodes, you staying for breakfast?” Tony asked, getting to work on the meal.

“Well, If you’re offering... Besides, I’ve never tried anything you’ve made before, I want to see if Pepper here is just trying to boost your ego, or if you really can cook.” Rhodey laughed, Peter even gave a small smirk. Tony laughed, taking no offense at all.  
…

Peter sat back with a satisfied sigh. His appetite seemed to be coming back. He didn’t know how hungry he was until the steaming stack of waffles was placed in front of him. He didn’t know if Mr. Stark really was a good cook, or if waffles were simply the one meal that he was really good at making. Either way, it was funny to watch Rhodey grudgingly admit that they were good.

Peter glanced through his phone and saw a call from Ned from last night. It wasn’t a missed call though, and since he wasn’t the one to answer it, it meant that Mr. Stark must-have.

“Hey, Mr. Stark?” Peter called. It was just the two of them in the kitchen. Rhodey having left after breakfast and Pepper having a board meeting to attend.

Mr. Stark looked over at Peter. “Yeah buddy?”

“Did you talk to Ned last night?” Peter asked, giving his phone a slight wave.

Mr. Stark put the last dish into the dishwasher and turned around to face him.

“Yeah, he called last night after you went to sleep.”

Peter nodded his head. “Did you uh, did you tell him what happened?” He   
still couldn’t say the words out loud.

“Um, yeah. You wanted me to right?” Mr. Stark asked suddenly looking unsure.

“No, I mean yes. I wanted you to tell him, thank you.” Peter said relieved. He looked down at his phone again, thinking that he really should call Ned. Maybe it would be nice to hear his friend's overactive ramblings. A good distraction. “I’m just gonna go give him a call.” He said slipping out of his seat.

Mr. Stark’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Yeah kiddo, that sounds like a good idea,” he said sounding encouraging. Peter nodded and got up from the table.

He closed the door to his room and sat on his bed, phone clutched tightly in his hands. It wasn’t long before the sound of ringing filled the silence. He waited patiently for Ned to answer the phone, his fingers drumming nervously on his legs. 

“Hello?” The voice answered hesitantly. “Mr. Stark?”

Peter frowned and glanced down at his phone, checking to see if it was his phone or Mr. Stark’s phone he was actually calling from. “Um, no. It’s me. Peter.” Peter said after confirming that he was indeed talking on his phone. 

“Peter?” Ned asked sounding surprised.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I haven’t called you in like forever, I wanted to, but I just-”

“It’s okay man, I understand. I mean I’m not saying that I know what you’re going through, I just mean-” Ned started to ramble as well.

Peter laughed softly. “Were quite the pair aren’t we?” he interrupted him. They couldn’t stop stumbling over their words.

Ned chuckled, “Yeah.” There was a small pause where neither one of them knew quite what to say. “How...uh, how are you doing?” It was asked with such hesitance, almost like he was afraid to ask.

Peter sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sort of…numb.” Peter shrugged. It wasn’t that he couldn’t feel the pain, it was more that he was getting used to it. People, his family mostly, always seemed to leave him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ned asked.

Peter shook his head, it wasn’t what he called him for. He called his friend for a distraction. “No, I don’t. Not yet at least.”

“Okay, that’s cool. So what do you want to talk about?” 

Peter shrugged, even though Ned couldn’t see him. “I don’t know.”  
He let out a breath. He’d initiated this phone call and he didn’t even have anything to say.

“That’s okay,” Ned assured him, but the silence that followed had him thinking otherwise. He was about ready to just make up some lousy excuse to get off of the phone when Ned continued.

“Well, you’ll never guess what you missed at school on Friday,” Ned said, a hint of excitement back in his voice. 

Peter raised his eyebrows, “What?”

“Flash ripped his pants, like right down the middle in front of the whole cafeteria!” Ned exclaimed mirthfully.

Peter laughed. “What! How did that happen?”

“Well, Flash was acting like his usual douche bag self when...” Ned proceeded to recount the entire story.

Peter could already feel a little of his old self coming back. Maybe this really was what he needed, a little normalcy, and to maybe not think about the “incident” for as long as he could. He leaned back against his bed and closed his eyes, content to just listen to his best friend talk. 

“And that wasn’t even the best part. He was wearing spider-man briefs!” Ned said causing both of them to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Thanks for reading guys. Please feel free to leave a comment and kudos. Oh and about that surprise, it didn't quite fit in this chapter, so It'll probably be in the next one. I’ll see you guys next time! :)

**Author's Note:**

> ~So, super short I know. But I just want to know if you guys actually like it or not before I continue. Let me know what you think. Kudos and comments are appreciated. :)


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